Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from GolfTEC

Questions to a New GTU Graduate: Cory Fletcher

Name: Cory Fletcher

Center where you will be teaching: GolfTEC Omaha

Years playing golf: 32

How did you become interested in golf:

Playing with my favorite and brother and now making memories playing with my children.

What are you looking forward to most about becoming a GolfTEC Coach?

Being part of a group of Coaches that are passionate about making people play better golf. Also coming to work where I get to talk about golf everyday.

Golf goals:

Learn, and then learn more. Hone communication skills. Also, play more myself and spend quality time with clients outside our walls at GolfTEC Omaha.

Favorite place you’ve played:

San Hills GOlf Club – Nebraska

Favorite club in your bag:

Has to be the butter. No choice in the matter. Drive for show, putt for dough.

Questions to a New GTU Graduate: Victor Jacinto

Name: Victor Jacinto

Center where you will be teaching: GolfTEC Mequon,  Milwaukee, WI

Years playing golf: 9

What’s your best golf memory?

It’s a tie between shooting 64 at the Cochise Course at Desert Mountain and working with a student who has Parkinson’s disease. I helped him improve from a 29 handicap to an 18 over 16 months.

What are you looking forward to most about becoming a GolfTEC Coach?

I look forward to helping people learn and improve their game as well as have fun in doing so. I also look forward to learning more and continuously improving as a Coach, player and individual.

Golf goals:

Short term I want to teach 1,750 30-minute lessons my first year at GolfTEC. I also want to be in contention during section tournaments. Long term I want to be the Wisconsin section Teacher of the Year and win the Wisconsin PGA Championship.

Favorite place you’ve played:

Pine Canyon in Flagstaff, AZ is my favorite place to play

Favorite Club in your bag:

Putter

Questions to a new GTU Graduate: Will Bertz

Name: Will Bertz

Center where you will be teaching: GolfTEC Henderson, Las Vegas, NV

Years playing golf: 11

How did you become interested in golf?

My parents got me interested in the game of golf and after a short time and quick aptitude for the game, it stuck.

What are you looking forward to most about being a GolfTEC Coach?

A great work environment and corporate structure combined with being part of an industry-leading brand.

Golf goals:

Play more as a professional competitively and help to spearhead industry changes through a solid brand.

Favorite place you’ve ever played: St. Andrews

New Golf Balls Proposed by PING CEO

Monday morning this week, Solheim, the CEO of PING golf, announced an ambitious plan to create three tiers of golf balls: one that goes longer, one that stays the same and one that will be hit a shorter distance. Click here to read Golf Week’s article about Solheim’s three-tier idea.

It’s a controversial but innovative idea sparking lots of debate by both the USGA and R&A. We asked a few of our experts what they thought of the rule change, see what they have to say and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

From Steve Atherton, GolfTEC VP of Research and Development:

There are pros and cons to Solheim’s proposal, and I think it could create some creative formats for amateur golfers, and maybe even more interesting tournament play for the PGA / LPGA professionals.  For example, they could play the same course two weeks in a row – one week with the long ball and then the next week with the short ball – to see how scores might change.  For the average golfer, however, I don’t believe it will level the playing field.

This is just my theory right now, but I think  playing with the short ball would actually IMPROVE most weekend warriors’ scores.  The average golfer misses more than half of the fairways as it is, so the longer ball would just put them further into trouble off the tee, and they would miss the fairway even more often.  The shorter ball, however, would allow them to play from the fairway more often.  I think playing from the fairway more often would be a bigger benefit than a few extra yards on the holes that they actually do hit the fairway.

From Andy Hilts, GolfTEC VP of Instruction:

Jack Nicklaus has been saying for years that we need to stop the ball from going too far. This proposal would help the average amateur to have a ball that goes farther. That means more people might start playing as hitting a ball FAR is the major thrill in golf. This would also bring back some of the strategy on classic courses that the stronger players can overpower.  Lots of classic courses that have had to do a redesign or can’t redesign because they don’t have the space.

However, I’m not sure I like having two sets of rules. We already have a handicapping system to help level the playing field. We need to let technology advance the game, if we hadn’t done that in the past, we would still be playing with wooden woods and a feather filled leather ball.

Final thoughts: I would love to go Tee it Forward with a longer ball!